


Home Again

by grrriliketigers



Series: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room [5]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-03
Updated: 2013-04-03
Packaged: 2017-12-07 09:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/746773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grrriliketigers/pseuds/grrriliketigers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miranda rushes to the bedside of her dying mother. The family, the home and the life that she ran away from thirty years before. The weight of the guilt still heavy even after so much time has passed. Can Miranda's money and clout help her mother get the treatment she needs? Can getting her mother the treatment she needs ease her conscience?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The day began much like any other. Andy's alarm clock woke Miranda up and she rolled over and fell back asleep until Andy got out of the shower and woke her with a kiss. She got up and showered, dressed, applied her make-up and descended the stairs. She poured herself a cup of coffee and had a ten minute discussion with Andy before she had to run off to the Mirror. 

In another twenty minutes, Cassidy came into the kitchen. They exchanged good mornings and short anecdotes before Cassidy selected an orange from the fruit bowl on the table and poured a cup of coffee. She kissed Miranda's temple and headed off to class. 

Miranda would spend the next hour reading the newspaper and completing the crossword puzzle. 

The day before she'd lunched with Donatella and the next day she was scheduled to get together with Anne Valerie Hash but today she was free. She would probably order pad kee mow from Gong and read her magazines and newspapers. 

Then she would spend the afternoon working on and with her current charities. Miranda had finally managed to find ways to enjoy her retirement and feel productive. 

Today, however, was different because as Miranda was finishing up her crossword puzzle the phone rang. It wasn't her cell phone, it was the house phone. She almost never used the house phone to the extent that it was so old that it didn't even have caller id.  
Out of the novelty of the ringing house phone and pure unadulterated curiousity, she picked it up. "Hello?" She asked tentatively. 

"Miriam?" A shy, sheepish voice came through the phone. 

Miranda's heart stopped. She didn't recognize the voice, but logic told her that the speaker was Dana, her younger sister. 

"Yes?" Miranda replied, barely above a whisper. 

"It's Dana Chapman, formerly Princhek, your sister... I... know that you didn't want to hear from us, if you did you'd've called, but... it's not for me, it's for mum..." 

"What about mum?" Miranda bit her lip.

"She's sick, Miriam, the docto's tell us she probably only has about two months." There was a long pause, "I think that maybe it would mean a great deal to her... if you visited." 

"I'll see what I can do..." Miranda's voice trailed off. She hung up the phone in a daze before letting her sister reply. Miranda suddenly felt out of breath and she sank down into a chair. 

**

"Andrea?" Miranda's voice was shaky and she leaned against a pillar in the middle of the airport. 

"Miranda, what's wrong?" Andy was alert and concerned.

"My... my mother... is sick. She's... dying, actually..." Miranda had to fight hard to say the words.

"Oh my God, Miranda," Andy started shuffling papers into a pile, "stay right where you are, I'm coming with you. Are you at JFK?" 

"...no..."

"I can hear the airport announcements in the background, your mother lives in England, doesn't she? Does Laguardia do international flights?"

"I'm in London." Miranda admitted. "I got the news... and... I rushed right to the airport. I just landed." 

"Oh." Andy sounded hurt.

"I just needed to hear your voice."

"I could do you one better, you could see my face if you give me a couple of hours." 

"You have that big deadline." Miranda shook her head.

"I can work on that anywhere my laptop can go, which, miraculously, is anywhere." Andy insisted, "Miranda, I should be there with you."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Yes, you could. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Don't you want me there?" Andy asked softly. 

"Sweetheart, wherever I am, I want you to be with me but I don't want to be here. I wish I wasn't in England... I left England in 1975 and I haven't looked back. I haven't even attended London Fashion Week, which, you know, no one really attends London Fashion Week, but... I don't want to be here, I don't want to be back." 

"It's okay, Miranda, take a deep breath."

"Yeah..."

"You're ranting and you're upset. I think you should check yourself into a hotel and wait for me." 

"Sweetheart, _please_ , I have to do this myself. It has nothing to do with whether or not I love you or trust you, this... is just something that I have to do... alone." 

There was a long pause, "I understand that..."

"I love you with my whole heart." 

"I know." There was another pause, "I'm here for you if you need me." 

"You're the love of my life."

Andy smiled, "I know. You're mine too. You'll be fine." 

"Take care of Cassidy."

"I will. Call me if you need anything." 

**

"Hey Andy," Cassidy said as soon as she heard the beep on Andy's voicemail. "I just got a weird e-mail from mom and now I can't reach her on her phone. Did she say she's in England?" Cassidy let out a startled gasp as she walked into someone. 

A bag of apples spilled on the ground. Cassidy pocketed her phone, "I'm so sorry." She insisted as she scooped up the escaping apples and put them back in the bag. 

"Thank you." The woman laughed embarrassedly. "I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going." 

They looked up at each other and froze. "Cassidy?" 

"Zoria. Shit." Cassidy couldn't help but start to smile. "We have an odd way of meeting, don't we?"

Zoria laughed, "we certainly do. How are you? What are you up to?"

"Well, let me buy you a coffee and I'll tell you all about it." Cassidy flashed her best charming grin. 

"Yeah, okay," Zoria nodded. 

**

Jimmy dropped an inch-thick folder on Andy's desk, causing her to jump. "Let me guess," he said flatly, "your phone is dead again." 

"Oh shit, is it?" Andy dug it from her pocket and rolled her eyes at herself. "Sorry. Did you try to call?" 

"Like twenty times." Jimmy sat down at his desk. "I don't mind helping you out, Andy, but I need you to meet me halfway."

"I know, I'm sorry." Andy started to leaf through the papers in the pile, "oh my god, is this everything? You're a saint!"

"You can make it up to me by buying me dinner at Sushi Yasuda when you get your promotion." 

"You should be up for this promotion." Andy frowned. 

"Hey, stop that, you deserve this. I'm the strange story guy and those stay off the front page. This is your chance." Jimmy insisted. 

"Why do you have to be so decent about this?" Andy plugged the phone into her charger and turned it on. Immediately it started beeping. 

"Don't waste your breath on me, kid. You've got a lot of voicemail and a lot of research to attend to." Jimmy laughed, "and if I know your crazy family those voicemail are probably a lot more interesting than the political scandal you're trying to expose."

"Miranda's in England visiting her dying mother who she hasn't seen since she was seventeen. She's probably having a panic attack on a train right now. And Cassidy... actually, things seem relatively normal for Cassidy right now." 

Jimmy snickered and shook his head, "if I know Cassidy that won't last for long. I love your life."

Andy's phone rang. She looked at the caller id and showed it to Jimmy, it was Miranda. "Hey sweetie," Andy said apologetically.

"Phone die again?"

"Yeah." Andy admitted embarrassedly. "Is everything okay?"

Miranda sat on the rattling train with her eyes squeezed shut and her heart pounding. She was feeling dizzy and she dialed the numbers slowly and instinctively, not daring to open her eyes.

"Miranda?" Andy answered right away.

"I'm having a panic attack on a train." 

"Put your head between your knees." Andy said and could practically hear Miranda purse her lips and furrow her brow at the suggestion. "You don't want to pass out, do you? If you pass out on the train strangers will give you CPR."

Miranda begrudgingly lowered her head until she could squeeze her knees against her temples. "That's a little better."

"Just take deep calming breaths, Miranda." Andy listened to Miranda's breathing, it was irregular and fast, when it slowed a little, Andy continued, "it's not too late for me to come be with you. You don't have to go alone."

Miranda bit her lip on the urge to cry, "I shouldn't have come here. This is wrong."

"Miranda," Andy cooed soothingly, "this is the right thing. You know that. When you heard your mother was sick you went straight to the airport, you know in your heart you're exactly where you're supposed to be." Andy wished that she could say that she felt like she was where she was supposed to be.

"Maybe you're right..."

"Fuck that, babe, I  _am_  right and you know it." Andy smiled, "smile for me."

"You can't see me."

"I can hear your smiles."

"No, you can't." Miranda bit her lip against a smile.

Andy grinned, "sure, I can, you just smiled."

"No, I didn't..." 

Andy laughed, "you're so damn cute, you're still smiling. God, I love you so much. I can just picture you sitting in a private compartment with your head between your knees and a smile from ear to ear."

"Am I predictable?"

"Nah, I just know you very well." Andy said, "I wish I could be there with you."

"I don't even want to be here."  Miranda pouted. 

"But you are so you're going to make the most of it, right?" Andy asked, Miranda grumbled. "And you're going to eat a lot of delicious seafood, right?" 

"Oh, don't say seafood, I think I'm going to throw up." 

"Just keep breathing, beautiful, you're going to be fine." 

"Sachs!" Dave, the editor, stuck his head out of the office, "I need to see you in here. Keep your phone turned _on_."

"Darling, I love you, I have to go, call me later, okay?" 

"Yeah. I love you, too. Have a good day." 

**

"Oh, god, you are such a sweet talker," Zoria laughed, grinning, burying her face against Cassidy's bare chest. 

"Yeah, and not jail bait anymore," Cassidy ran her fingers over Zoria's hips and waist. "And thank god because I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on this." 

Zoria pulled Cassidy in for a long, slow kiss. Cassidy slipped her leg between Zoria's legs. 

Suddenly Zoria gasped and pulled back, "what time is it?" The alarm clock next to the bed was blank. She peered over the bed, "we must have unplugged it. What time is it?" 

Cassidy found her purse on the floor and dug out her phone, "it's like four. Is everything okay? Did you forget an appointment?" 

"Something like that." Zoria bit her lip nervously, "you need to go." 

"What just happened?" Cassidy demanded, "one minute you're all over me and now you're having a freak out. What just changed?" 

"I'm kind of seeing someone... she gets out of work around four and she comes straight here. _Please_ , Cassidy." 

"This is ridiculous. You're a guidance counselor, how can you justify cheating? Does she live with you?"Cassidy chastised as she pulled on her purse.

"It's really complicated, Cassidy, and no, she doesn't live with me but she has a key because she's still married." 

Cassidy rolled her eyes, "you need serious help." Cassidy buttoned up her shirt and and grabbed her purse. 

The front door of the apartment opened. "Zoria? Are you here, baby?" 

Cassidy's jaw dropped. She whispered, "that's not who I think it is." 

"Depends. Do you think it's Vice Principal Kathryn King?" Zoria bit her lip, whispering back. "Use the fire escape." Zoria pulled the window up.

Cassidy glared at her, "that's the least strange thing you've said to me all day." 

"I'll call you." Zoria whispered. 

Cassidy felt a rush of reality when the cool air hit her. She wasted no time climbing down to the ground floor and dropping to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom?" 

"Hey Cass, did you get my e-mail?"

"Yeah, I did... but it was a little incoherent. What's happening exactly? And why aren't you calling from your phone?"

"In reverse order: the phone died and I need to get a plug converter and I'm here because your grandmother... she's sick and I'm overdue for a visit."

"Oh." Cassidy said and then paused, "I guess I just always assumed that she was already dead. We never met her, you never talk about her... Caroline and I sort of assumed you were an orphan." 

"I acted like I was."

"Cool, so I've got the house to myself." 

"No, Andrea's still home."

"Oh... why didn't she go with you?" 

Miranda sighed, "I just took off this morning and called her from London." 

"Ballsy."

Miranda scoffed, "anyway, I'm in St. Ives, Cornwall tonight at the Primrose Valley hotel if you need to reach me and tomorrow I'll be checking into the Cadgwith Cove Inn."

"What's a Cadgwith?" Cassidy raised a questioning eyebrow. 

"It's a town. It's the one I grew up in." 

"I'll google it." Cassidy announced excitedly. 

"Don't bother. It'll just depress you." 

Cassidy giggled, "so, isn't it like the middle of the night in England. What are you? Six hours off?"

"Five, but my body thinks it's New York Time so I'm awake enough. I'm going to call Caroline and then go to bed. I couldn't get ahold of Andrea but tell her she can call the hotel and have me woken up and I won't mind."

"Can do, mamacita." 

"Oh yeah, how'd your Spanish test go?" 

"Well... I got a C but it was really hard. Like, the subjunctive? You'd think it'd be easier for me since I already know about the subjunctive in French but it's stupid because it has entirely different conditions."

"Not _entirely_. I'll help you with it when I come home." Miranda offered.

"When _are_ you coming home?"

Miranda paused, considering the question. She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe in a couple of days, maybe in a week." 

"Have fun, I guess. Tell your mother I said hi? Would that be weird?"

Miranda smiled, "no, I think she'd like that. Study hard for the next test, okay, sweetie?" 

"Yeah..." Cassidy said begrudgingy. They exchanged 'I love you's before hanging up. Cassidy started working on her biology homework and not ten minutes went by before her phone rang. The caller id said Zoria, they had exchanged numbers in the coffee shop before going back to Zoria's apartment.

Cassidy rolled her eyes and set the phone back down. It stopped ringing but started again almost immediately and Cassidy tossed the phone into her laundry pile. She turned her music up and got back to general biology, chapter two. 

**

Miranda hated waking up alone. Her wake-up call woke her promptly at seven and she sighed knowing Andy was still fast asleep in the middle of the night. 

Miranda showered, dressed and opened the door to go down to breakfast only to find her breakfast waiting for her outside her door with several newspapers. 

She picked up the tray and brought it into the lounge area of her suite and sat down on the couch. A printed card fell out of The New York Times. Miranda smiled when she read the card: _I didn't want to wake you but I wanted you to feel like you were at home this morning. I love you. Andy_

Miranda smiled and took the cover off the food. After she ate and read and did the crossword Miranda was beginning to feel more like herself. She checked out of the hotel at eleven and hired a car to drive her up to Cadgwith. 

"No, take the more direct route. I'm not a tourist, don't treat me like one." Miranda snapped when he put on his turn signal to take the longer route. 

The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror with surprise. "Yes, ma'am."

Miranda pursed her lips and looked down to her newspaper. 

"I wasn't trying to cheat ya," the driver said after a long stretch of silence, "it's just that tourists usually like the scenic route and it's not much longer a drive." 

"I would just prefer to get there as soon as possible. _Thank you_." Miranda looked back to her newspaper. 

"Are you new to the area? You don't sound like you're from around here."

"I grew up here." Miranda sighed exasperatedly, "and ellocution lessons do wonders. I would rather not talk." 

"Alright..." The driver grumbled. 

The driver dropped her at the Cadgwith Cove, she slung her purse over her shoulder and walked in. "Hello." She said to the man at the bar. "My name is Miranda Priestly, I have a reservation for a single room."

"Yeah," he set down the glass he was drying and went over to get the reservation book and keys. "I have you in room three, it has an ocean view. I'll show you to it."

She followed him down the hallway and entered the room when he unlocked it. "Your bathroom's in here and the cleaning woman comes through every other day but if you need new sheets or towels or anything you can ask me. My name's William Townsend."

"Thank you." 

He held out the key and she reached for it but he pulled it back. "You look _very_ familiar." 

"I can't imagine why." Miranda pursed her lips, snatching the key from him. 

"No, I'm sure we've met. Maybe you looked different?" 

"I don't have time for this." Miranda snarled, doing her best to scare him off with the threat of her wrath. Of course they had met before, he was one of a million kids who grew up in Cadgwith who never left. His father ran the inn before him and Miranda would put money on it that his children would run it when he couldn't any longer. 

"Alright, sorry." He looked apologetic and Miranda was kind of sorry she snapped at him. "I'll be downstairs if you need me for anything." He said as he backed out of the room and closed the door. 

The room was tiny and she would have prefered the double suite but she was lucky to have gotten this one considering the Cadgwith Cove Inn only has seven rooms. At least she hadn't gotten the one right over the bar. 

Miranda locked her door, plugged in her phone and then curled up on the bed. She lay there until noon and then called home. 

"Did you get your breakfast?" Andy smiled when she heard Miranda's voice. 

"I did. That was a wonderful thing to wake up to. Though, of course, it couldn't rival you." 

"Well," Andy blushed, "I wanted to do something for you." 

"How's the article going?" 

"It's going really well!" Andy exclaimed enthusiastically. "Jimmy got me the voting records and I've been pouring through those and it's actually really interesting." 

"Ever feel like you should have gone into politics?" 

Andy laughed, "I wouldn't have the patience for it." 

"You'd be good at it." Miranda smiled, "I won't hold you up, beautiful, I just needed to hear your voice before I went over to my mother's."

"You can call me anytime, sweetheart."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Be strong." 

Andy hung up the phone and almost ran into Cassidy in the hallway. "Morning, kiddo." 

Cassidy took Andy's phone from her hand and flipped it open. "Low battery. Plug this in as soon as you get to work. How does your battery die every day?" 

Andy snatched it back, smiling, "it's a phone _and_ an mp3 player. The mp3 player runs it down." 

"I will buy you an iPod for Christmas." 

"Hey, how'd your test go?" 

"Why does everyone have to ask me about that? It went rather shitty, thanks for reminding me." Cassidy pouted. 

Andy looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry."

"No... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to snap at you... I just have some things going on right now... crazy." 

"Yeah, the first semester at college is tough. The transition is crazy." Andy nodded. "And I'm sure it's hard because Caroline is in Boston."

"Yeah, college is way hard..." Cassidy nodded, not wanting to get into what was really on her mind. 

"When your mother gets back we should take a trip to go see Caroline." 

Cassidy laughed, "yeah, because the last family trip to Boston went so well..."

**

Miranda put the freshly charged cell phone in her purse and set out from the inn. It was only a few blocks walk to her childhood home and even thirty years later she knew the route like the back of her hand. 

She knocked once on the door but it creaked open. She peered in and slowly entered the foyer. The sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating floating dust particles. She pulled her sunglasses off her face and looked around. 

"You selfish cunt." 

Miranda heard the deep voice and turned around to see the furrowed brow of her angry younger sibling. She'd know his face anywhere because he looked just like her father. Miranda pursed her lips and looked down to his black oxfords with his brown pressed trousers and up to his blue sweater. 

"Jamie," Miranda gave him a sarcastic smile. "It's so good to see you too."

"Oh spare me, Miriam, or Miranda, or whatever the fuck you're calling yourself these days." He crossed his arms across her chest.

"I'm just here to see mum."

"So, you're calling yourself a daughter again. Isn't it a little late for that?"

"It's never too late."

"That's fucking bullshit." Jamie snarled, the venom in his voice spitting across the room and Miranda imagined that it was burning holes in the hideous drapery behind her. "It's too fucking late for you, Miriam." 

"I'm not going to fight with you, this isn't about you."

"And it isn't about you either, this is about my mother and she's dying and it would fucking kill her all over again to see you."

"Is the profanity really necessary? It makes you sound so incredibly uneducated."

"Hey, I have an associate's degree which is more than you can say."

"Fat load of good it did you." Miranda smirked, feeling on the defensive now that her intelligence was being questioned. "I saved myself years and countless amounts of money and I make more money in a year than you've seen in your  _life_."

"Your success came at the expense of  _us_."

"I had no obligation to you!" Miranda snapped, feeling old guilt bubbling up in the pit of her stomach, fueling her rage. 

"You had an obligation to  _her_!" Jamie yelled, "it broke her fucking heart when you left. Have the decency not to do it again!" 

Miranda narrowed her eyes at him in defiance but there was no response to give. 

"Just let her go up, Jamie."

Miranda jumped back, unnerved by not having seen her youngest sibling sitting in the corner. 

Dana sat in the shadows wearing dark gray clothing, her dark hair going even further towards blending her into the shadowy corners in the room. "Just let her go up." She said again with resignation.

***

Miranda walked through the dusty house. She felt a foreboding sense of déjà vu like she was walking straight into the past, into the past that she'd run away from. 

Into the past that she'd been running away from for almost forty years.

She halted by the door to her mother's bedroom. Her mother didn't know she was there, she could turn around and leave and her mother would be none the wiser. She put a shaking hand on the doorknob. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something peaceful and push away the oppressive thoughts that were plaguing her subconscious.

She had run away to avoid becoming her mother but now faced with having to look her in the eye she wondered if she'd succeeded or if she'd walked in a circle until she had become her just the same. 

No, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.  _No. I am not my mother. I am Miranda Priestly, I am my own person. I am successful and powerful and I don't try to put my burden onto my children_. The thought caused her a pang of guilt. She felt guilty and selfish for trying to deflect the blame of her decision to run away onto her mother. Her mother who laid dying on the other side of the door.

She turned the knob before she even knew it was happening and she bowed her head as she entered. 

"Miriam?" Her mother croaked from the bed, her eyes still shut. Miranda's heart skipped a beat and she drew in a shaky breath. Her mother smiled weakly, "it's your perfume. It smells expensive. No one else with expensive perfume would visit me." 

Miranda let out a soft breath of relief, her mother's smile relieving her tension. She had expected to be met with hostility but as she looked at her mother lying in the bed in her beige lamb's wool sweater she was overcome with memories and emotions. 

"Mum." Miranda started but her voice faltered and her eyes welled with tears.

"Don't speak, baby, come lay with me." 

Miranda did as she was told, laying down on the bed in front of her mother, drawing her legs up and burying her face against the pillow, trying to convince herself that she wasn't going to cry. 

Evelyn lifted her hand and brushed the fingertips along the side of Miranda's face, scarcely believing that after so many years had passed that Miranda had returned home. Miranda looked up into her mother's eyes and had a similar thought. 

Evelyn smiled, "you got old."

Miranda smiled despite herself, "so did you."

"Quite a pair, we are," Evelyn stroked Miranda's soft white hair maternally and took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you came."

"Not coming wasn't an option." 

"Yes it was," she said, stroking her hair, "you've proven time and time again to me and the world that you have every option available to you."

"Mum, I'm so sorry..." Miranda started.

"You hush." Evelyn said firmly, "if we all had it all to do over again I would hope that you would make exactly the same decision. Your life wasn't here and that's not your fault. Of course I was sad, you're my first born and the love that I have for you is unparalleled, thusly the hurt that I felt was unparalleled."

Miranda looked guiltily at her mother, her eyebrows furrowed in worry and apology.

" _But_ ," Evelyn brushed Miranda's hair away from her eyes, "that also means that my pride in your successes is just as unparalleled. Neither of us would have been as happy if you had stayed."

"I'm supposed to be making  _you_  feel better."

"Is that really why you came here? Was it to make me feel better or was it your last chance to seek absolution?" 

Miranda stared at her mother in awe. There was nothing wrong with her mind. 

"It's _okay_." Evelyn whispered into Miranda's ear, pulling her closer to her body. "Everything is  _okay_."

Miranda could no longer hold back her tears. She let go of her mother's hand to cover her face with both as she sobbed and tried in vain to stop herself. "No, it isn't!" She cried, "you're dying, you shouldn't be okay with that. This isn't the way it has to be."

"Miriam, I'm at peace with this."

"There's medicine, there're doctors, there're hospitals!"

"Not in Cadgwith, peaches. Not for me."

Miranda buried her face in Evelyn's chest and let herself cry herself out while Evelyn held her and hummed softly while stroking her hair and neck like she used to do when Miranda was a child. 

As Miranda's chest heaved with sobs and her mind began to shut off as her exhaustion, guilt and relief began to take their toll on her, she thought to herself that she hadn't become her mother but realized that becoming her mother would have been one of the best things she could have done. 

**

"Cassidy?" Zoria stepped in front of her as she exited the Silver Building. 

Cassidy gasped and jumped, "you're crazy!" She laid a hand over her heart.

"I'm not crazy. I just... you said you were a biology major and this is the biology building. I went here too, you know." Zoria offered a mollifying smile. "I just really want the opportunity to talk to you and I don't have a lot of time."

"I don't want to be the other woman, don't waste your breath." 

"Please, just hear me out." Zoria pleaded. " _Please_."


	3. Chapter 3

Cassidy sighed heavily. "Fine. You can walk me to the library." 

"I should have been up front with you. I know that. I shouldn't have omitted Kate." 

"Kate? Right, Vice Principal King, got it." Cassidy nodded. 

"It's just that it's not a good, healthy relationship and I don't want to be in it anymore. I didn't really want to be in it from the start. She's extremely closeted and a little bit of a self-hater and when she found out that I'm gay she decided she could indulge herself and exploit me at the same time." 

"Yeah..." Cassidy nodded, "that sounds like Mrs. King..." 

"At first she didn't seem so manipularive. At first I thought she was kind of sweet, she romanced me and she treated me really well but as time went on it started to feel oppressive and when I tried to hint that maybe it wasn't working anymore she threatened me. She said she'd tell the school board that I tried to seduce _her_. I'm young and I'm foreign and I ask the students to call me by my first name, and if Kate outs me to the board I'm sure they'll draw their own conclusions." 

"What? That you sleep with students?" Cassidy shrugged, "maybe you do. You and I ended up in bed together pretty quickly." 

"I don't normally make rash decisions like that. You're different, Cassidy. You're sweet and intelligent and funny. I liked you from the first time I met you, I was so disappointed when I found out you were a high school sophomore." 

Cassidy scoffed. 

"Look, I know I should have told you the truth outright but I didn't think we would end up in bed together." 

Cassidy sighed and stopped, causing several pedestrians to have to veer around them. "I'm just upset because I really like you. I liked you when I first met you too... and I guess I did lie to you the first time I met you too. Maybe mine was a worse lie because you could have gone to jail for it. Maybe your lie was worse because if Mrs. King figures it out you'll get fired and blacklisted. Maybe I just don't like the tables being turned." 

"Will you have dinner with me tonight?" 

"My mother's out of the country and I think I should have dinner with with my stepmother... but how about coffee and dessert afterwards?" 

**

"Mum?" Jamie asked as he knocked on the bedroom door. "I'm taking off." He stepped into the room to see Miranda curled up against Evelyn. 

Evelyn looked to Jamie and smiled, "will you and Virginia be over for dinner later?"

"We'll see." He pursed his lips, "take care." 

He took the stairs two at a time and grabbed his coat off the coat rack. Dana stood up and furrowed her brow at her brother. "What's gotten into you?"

"Thirty years gone and she's still the fecking favorite." He snapped, "I can't be in this house as long as _she's_ here. What's she even doing here?" 

"Jamie, calm down." Dana crossed her arms, "I called her." 

"Are you kidding me?" He demanded, "I can't believe that you'd invite her back here! She walked out, she doesn't get to come back. She shouldn't be invited back with open arms!" 

"It's for mum, Jamie, try to think of mum's perspective." 

"I _am_ thinking of mum." Jamie hissed, "and mark my words, Dana, this is a bad idea. Inviting Miriam here is inviting a shitstorm of trouble." 

"Jamie, stop yelling at me. You're not my father." 

"Someone has to take care of you."

"I don't need taking care of, damnit. If you're going, just go." Dana turned away from him. Jamie hesitated for a moment before storming out of the house. 

A few minutes later, Miranda descended the stairs. "Dana, is there some place I can get internet? And maybe some place I can buy a change or two of clothes?" 

"Yeah," Dana nodded, standing and gathering her things, "I'll take you."

"That's not necessary, I can call for a car."

"Just because I haven't seen you in thirty years doesn't mean that I can't offer you a little sisterly kindness." Dana offered her a smile. "Besides, it's on my way anyway, I have to go to work." 

**

"Hey Jimmy, check this out. I've got him. Senator Thomas Bradley has taken a bribe before every major vote, the payment is distributed between four different bank accounts. One of them is in his daughter's name, she's five, one of them is in his wife's and two of them are in his name, one is a Christmas club and the other is his personal account. The reason why the fdic never picked up on it is because individually each payment is small enough not to set off anybody's radar." 

"Smart." Jimmy nodded approvingly. "So, how'd you figure this all out?"

"Well," Andy scoffed, "I voted for this jackass last election because I liked his platform and then he started voting against all the things he stood for. So, I started looking into it." 

"I guess I should take more of an interest in politics in the future. When's the story going to break?" 

Andy grinned, "hopefully tonight, I've drafted most of the article and now that I have my research to conclusively back my claims I'm golden." 

"Congrats, Andy."

"Thanks Jimmy." 

"Any updates from Miranda or the girls?" He asked hopefully. 

Andy shook her head. As if on cue, her cell phone rang. "Oh, speak of the devil." She flipped the phone open, "hey gorgeous, I was just thinking about you." 

"Oh Andrea, hearing your voice is like music." 

"It's good to hear yours too. Are you at your mother's?" 

"No, I'm a couple of towns over using the internet and drinking dreadful coffee." Miranda drawled as she sipped the aforementioned liquid. "My mother has a heart condition and I'm researching it." 

"I think it takes a little longer than a trip to the coffee shop to be certified as a cardiologist." 

"I married a smartass." Miranda teased, "I'm researching her condition and hospitals that are well equipped to treat her." 

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. A little drained from being away from cities, but that much can be expected."

"Right, but I mean are you _okay_?" There was a long pause on Miranda's end. "Miranda?" Andy asked cautiously, afraid the connection had been lost. 

"I will be." Miranda finally answered, her voice somewhat choked. 

"I should be there with you." Andy said definitively. "I'm worried about you. You don't deal well with strong emotions."

"I think I resent that." 

"Resent it all you want but it's true." Andy smiled. "You put all your energy into keeping things around you predictable and in your control and when they're not... you have a tendency to fly off the handle."

There was silence again. "Miranda?"

"I'm here." 

"Take care of yourself. You're very important to me and I'll be mad if anything happens to you. Got it?"

Miranda snorted a small laugh, "got it." 

"I have to go, I have to finish up my article so it can print. Will you call me later?"

"Sure. I'll call you after I eat dinner." 

"One more thing. This might not be the right thing to say but... I'm going to say it anyway... don't get _too_ involved. For all intents and purposes, that is not your family or your house or your country. You distanced yourself from them and it might be the wrong decision to interfere with their grieving process or their acceptance of the condition. Just tread lightly." 

Miranda was quiet again. "You're right. That was the wrong thing to say." She said curtly. "I'll call you later." 

"Miranda?" Andy bit her lip, "Miranda?" She asked again before it was apparent to her that Miranda had hung up abruptly. "She hung up." Andy announced, laying her phone on the desk.

"Being a woman apparently doesn't mean you know how to talk to a woman." Jimmy smirked, "that's comforting, at least, that I'm not the only one around her that doesn't understand women." 

Andy sighed. "Honestly, sometimes there's no talking to Miranda. But I don't regret it. I think she needed to hear that and maybe it'll take a while to sink in, but it was an important point to make." 

"Yeah, but think about it from her perspective. She set herself loose on middle-of-nowhere, England where they don't even have wifi and her mother is dying. Her mother who she abandoned thirty years ago and has been carrying around guilt for for just as long. Now she's there, she's heard that the heart condition is fatal. If I were a person with unlimited means and infinite clout my first thought would be 'what can I do with my money and my power? I can find better doctors, better hospitals, better treatments.' The woman's got inexhaustible resources."

"She does not have _inexhaustible_ resources." Andy grumbled. "I understand that's what she's thinking and that's why I thought it was important to try to talk her out of that."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how well that goes over..." Jimmy smirked. 

**

Miranda hunted around for nearly two hours to find clothing she deemed suitable to be seen in. She bought herself three new outfits and acceptable shampoos and soaps. She took a taxi back to Cadgwith where she showered and changed. 

She was coming down the stairs when William caught her at the bottom. "I've been thinking about it. I tried to let it go but you are just _too_ familiar for it to be a coincidence."

"Maybe I just have one of those faces." She pursed her lips in annoyance. 

"Dinner's in about an hour, the special tonight is Surf and Turf. Filet mignon with shrimp and lobster. It's perfection." 

"I've already made dinner plans." 

"Most people who stay here eat here because they're new to the area. If you're not new to the area then I must already know you." 

"Good _grief_ , Billy." Miranda exclaimed with exasperation. "You're just as annoying as you were when we were kids. Miriam Princhek. Okay?"

"Yes!" He grinned triumphantly. "You're the spitting image of your mother, aren't you? You filled out well, huh? And your accent, it's remarkable." 

Miranda scoffed, "I'm going home for dinner. I'm probably already late." She pursed her lips.

"I noticed you were here alone..." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Are you-"

"Married." Miranda held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers so the diamond and gold band could catch the light. "Yes. Happily. Two children." 

"Bugger. Maybe we could catch up later?" 

Miranda shrugged, "I'm pretty busy. I have to go." 

Billy watched her leave and shook his head, "what an arse on that woman..." 

Miranda strolled leisurely back to the cottage. Part of her wanted to hurry up and get there and part of her felt like it was ridiculous to go back since she'd escaped it twice already. It was remarkable how nothing seemed to have changed as she walked down the road. 

As she approached the cottage she could smell dinner permeating the air around her. She took a deep breath and tried not to be crushed under the weight of her memories. 

She pushed open the door to the kitchen to see her mother standing over the stove. She smiled at Miranda. "Just in time. Why don't you put on an apron and attend to the pasta sauce?" 

A woman sitting at the table furrowed her brow. "Evelyn, I could have done that. I asked if I could help." 

"You're a guest, Virginia. Miranda's my daughter, I can ask her to help." Evelyn winked at Miranda. 

Miranda smiled as she put on her apron and picked up a spoon. Despite her reservations concerning anything in the kitchen, as she stirred the sauce she felt capable and comfortable. 

"Dinner smells great, mum." Miranda said as she peered into the sauce pan. "What is it?" 

"Angel hair pasta with a crab white sauce. The crab is fresh from the ocean, Jamie and Virginia brought it over." Evelyn nodded toward Virginia. "Oh, have you not been introduced. Pardon me. Virginia, this is Miranda, Jamie's sister." 

Virginia stood and held out a hand to shake Miranda's. Miranda accepted it and shook it once. "I've heard a lot about you. Mostly today."

"Try not to believe everything you hear." 

"Virginia, could you go fetch Jamie and tell him dinner's just about ready?" Evelyn asked. Virginia nodded wordlessly and left the kitchen to go find her husband.

Evelyn turned to Miranda. "Oh, my dear, I'm so glad you're here." Evelyn pulled Miranda in for a hug. Miranda closed her eyes when she felt them well up with tears. She laid her head on Evelyn's shoulder and held her close. 

"I'm glad I'm here, too, mum."


	4. Chapter 4

When Virginia and Jamie entered the kitchen he scowled at Miranda's back. Miranda and Evelyn separated when they heard the return of the couple. 

"Virginia, would you set the table?"

"For four?"

"Of course," Evelyn smiled. 

Virginia seemed not to know what to do with herself. Miranda's arrival had clearly upset the balance of their usual dinners. Evelyn took charge of combining the pasta and the sauce and set it on the table in a bowl as well as a bowl of steamed green beans. 

Miranda waited for everyone else to sit before taking the remaining chair. Miranda took a modest amount of pasta and green beans before passing both along. 

The four ate in silence before Virginia finally broke in. "You know," she started. All three Princheks turned to look at her. "I feel a little silly. I'd assumed that you'd died, Miranda. Jamie would only say that he used to have an older sister and that she's gone now and we don't talk about it." 

Evelyn smiled a little and reached over and took Miranda's hand. "My firstborn. My Miriam." She gave her hand a squeeze, "she went out on her own and found success." 

Miranda looked over at Evelyn and managed a small smile. 

The moment was interupted by Jamie's fork screeching across his ceramic plate. "Sorry." He grumbled. 

"Mum said you caught this crab today?" Miranda asked, hating herself for the small talk but feeling that she had to reach out to her younger brother somehow.

"Yup." He nodded curtly. 

"It's delicious." Miranda said, her voice trailing off. 

After another long stretch of silence, Evelyn interjected, "every one is so quiet tonight. Usually I hear all about everybody's day. Virginia?" 

"Oh, well, my day was pretty routine. Elaine brought Brooke over until Pete came over and picked her up and brought her over to school. Brooke's getting so big. Then I went over to the church and did the taxes." 

"You're grandparents already?" Miranda furrowed her brow.

"Three times." Virginia smiled. "Brooke's the youngest, she's four. Do you have children?"

Miranda nodded, "twin girls. They just started college." 

Virginia laughed, "you started late." 

Miranda shrugged, "well, I wasn't sure for a while that I wanted kids."

"God forbid that you be tied down to someone or something." Jamie grumbled. 

"Jamie Princhek. There's no need to be disagreeable." Evelyn chided. 

"I was focused on my career." Miranda pursed her lips, avoiding looking at Jamie.

"So you're married?" Virginia continued, ignoring the tension between her husband and his long lost sister. "I see you're wearing a wedding ring." 

Miranda's phone rang and she looked at the screen. "Excuse me." She stood up from the table and stepped outside. "Hello." 

"Ms. Priestly? This is Victoria Rhodes from Lewisham Healthcare. Earlier you made an inquiry about whether or we had the capacity for your mother. Unfortunately at the moment we do not but you're on the top of the wait list. Is this a number that we can reach you at in future?" 

"Yes." Miranda said with a sigh. "This is my number... thank you." She hung up the phone and returned to the kitchen. She took her seat wordlessly and resumed eating. 

"You were saying you're married."Virginia encouraged gently. 

"Yes, I just got remarried about a year ago." 

"Why didn't your husband accompany you here?"

Miranda sighed inwardly, annoyed at the questions. "I am married to a woman and she did not accompany me because she has a job and so she'll be home for my daughter Cassidy."

Jamie choked on his water. Virginia exclaimed, "oh!" when she realized what Miranda had just said. "So you're a lesbian." 

Jamie rolled his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. 

"I'm bisexual actually." Miranda pursed her lips. Her cell phone rang again. "Excuse me."

Jamie put his hand on Miranda's arm, "we don't take calls at the dinner table."

"I'll just be a minute." Miranda insisted. 

"You can call them back later." Jamie growled. 

Miranda yanked her arm away from him, "I have been waiting for this call for hours." She narrowed her eyes and glowered at him. She stood from the table and moved towards the door. Jamie leapt up from the table and grabbed the phone away from Miranda. 

"Jamie! Don't!" Miranda protested as Jamie held it above Miranda's head. 

Virginia jumped up from the table and Evelyn started to get up, using the table to support her weight, "Jamie!" 

Miranda felt the anger welling up inside of her and finally she slapped him as hard as she could. Once her hand collided with his cheek she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Jamie's anger only intensified and he smashed the phone against the doorframe. 

Miranda ducked as pieces of the Blackberry showered down on her. 

Virginia and Evelyn froze. Jamie's chest rose and fell, his breathing evening out. Miranda looked up again, her nostrils flared in anger and tears in her eyes. "I can't believe you did that!" She shouted. 

"Jamie, that was horrible!" Evelyn scolded. 

"We'll replace that, Miranda." Virginia put a hand on her shoulder. 

Miranda shrugged her off. "Don't touch me." Miranda snarled, she threw her arms up and escaped out of the back door. Tears streamed down her face as she started down the street. 

**

Andy looked at her cell phone again. "Has your mom called you today?"

"Today? Uh... no. I don't think she called me today..." Cassidy shook her head. "Why?"

"Well, she said she'd call after she ate and it's like midnight in England..."

Cassidy shrugged, "you could call her. Maybe time just got away from her."

"Yeah... I don't know, I think maybe it was intentional... we had a little argument last time we talked and she might have just forgone the promised call."

"I'm sure she'll call." Cassidy said as she slipped on her shoes. "I'm going out for a bit, you'll be okay?"

Andy laughed, "I'm an adult, Cassidy, I think I'll be able to cope." 

**

Jamie walked up to the bar, "hey Billy, what do you have on tap from Blue Anchor?" 

"Same as always, Jamie." Billy laughed, "got the IPA and Middle. Might have a few bottles of Bragget in the back though." 

"Give me a middle." 

Billy poured a stein full of beer and slid it across the bar. "Two quid." 

Jamie pulled out a fiver. "Put the rest toward my tab." He said as he sipped the beer. "Hey, is there a woman here with white hair but she's only around 50 and dresses like she thinks she's royalty?"

"You mean your sister? She's here. She looks damn good, too. I almost had a bloody heart attack just from looking at her. I put her in room three, I saw her go up earlier and haven't seen her come down." 

Jamie downed the rest of his beer and set it down, "thanks, Billy." He ascended the stairs and pounded his fist into door three. 

" _What_?" Miranda hissed as she threw open the door. "Did you come to smash my laptop too?" 

"Oh climb down off the cross, Miriam." Jamie sneered. "I came to tell you that I want you to leave. You shouldn't be here. You don't get to just come back when you feel like it. You left, game over. Family over." 

"You're the only one who doesn't want me here." Miranda snarled. "Mum wants me here, Dana called me and your wife even seems to want me here." 

"Fine, maybe I'm outnumbered, but maybe I'm the only one who's seeing this for what it is. A sad old woman trying to find solace in the place she left, trying to find forgiveness for being such a bitch, making amends before it's too late. If she wasn't dying would you have visited?" 

"No." Miranda sighed, "no. Okay? Fine, you're right. I came back because I was seeking absolution, I feel guilty that I left her just like dad did. It was a rotten thing to do but I was seventeen. I was a _rotten_ teenager. It was thirty years ago. She doesn't blame me, maybe you could forgive me, too." 

Jamie ran his fingers through his hair. "If you'd seen what she went through when you left... Miriam, you'd know I can't forgive you." 

"I can't erase the past, Jamie, I can't do anything about it now."

Jamie nodded, "you have to live with your decisions. You make choices and you live with them." 

"It was the right decision for me, Jamie. I know you feel like I abandoned my family and maybe I _did_ but I know that I made the right decision for me."

"Well, maybe the right decision for me is not to forgive you." He said quietly.

"Fine. Then may I at least go back to sleep?" 

Jamie silently let go of the door and Miranda pulled it shut.


	5. Chapter 5

Miranda came down from her room around one and found Jamie sitting on a barstool. "Thought you were going to bed." He said. 

"Thought you'd be home with your wife." 

Jamie smirked, "you're one to talk." 

"Maybe it runs in the family. Running away." Miranda slid onto the stool next to Jamie. 

"Yeah, I'll drink to that." Jamie lifted his glass but stopped, "oh, you don't have a drink, let me get you an ale." 

"No, no... it's a little late for me." Miranda waved him off. 

He nudged her, "you're here, might as well partake of the cove's ale. My treat, name your poison." 

"Do they still carry Spingo?" 

"Are you kidding? Of course they do." Jamie flagged Billy down, "Billy, get Miriam a Bragget, wouldya?" 

Billy set the stein in front of Miranda, "you two take your time but I have to start cleaning up." 

"Thanks, Bill. My tab."

"No, Jamie." Miranda frowned as she sipped the ale. "I'm not going to let you buy me anything."

"Look, just accept it." Jamie said tersely.

Miranda sipped the ale again and shook her head. "You smash my phone with one hand and offer me a drink with the other. Forgive me, don't forgive me but you can't do both." 

"I can still think you're a selfish cow and buy you a drink. I'm your brother." Miranda pursed her lips and remained silent. "It's crazy how much you look like mum but you're exactly like dad. Dana looks like dad and acts just like mum." 

"You can take the girl out of England..." 

"Is it genetic, do you think? The desire to leave, I mean. First dad, then you... I went to London for school and I met Virginia and I brought her back here, but... I hate my life... maybe I'm mad that you got out of here. You made a clean break of it." 

"Your kids are all grown." Miranda shrugged her shoulders. "You can leave." 

"I love my wife."

"So don't leave." 

"It's not that simple." Jamie gruffed. 

"Look, Jamie." Miranda set down the beer and turned to face him. "It _is_ simple. People act like things aren't because they find supposed obligations and restrictions in order to keep themselves from being responsible for trying to make themselves happy." 

"Easy for you to say." 

"Jamie, look at me. I don't live here, I don't know you're life and I'm leaving soon. So there's no reason to bullshit me. What would make you happy?"

"I want to travel. I want to see other places. I want Virginia to go with me... but she doesn't want to leave the grankids, you know? She doesn't want to go and I don't want to stay but we want to be together." 

"It sounds like either way one of you will be unhappy." Miranda shrugged. 

"Yeah, or both of us will be unhappy. I make the sacrifice to be unhappy so that Virginia can be happy." 

"You're a better man than I." 

"Or a stupider man." Jamie scoffed. "Maybe I'm still mad that you left because I'm still mad that it was so easy for you to leave us." 

"It _wasn't_ easy." Miranda corrected, stunned. "It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. I hope you know that I didn't leave because I stopped loving my family. Sometimes you hurt the ones you love the most." 

After a long silence, Jamie mumbled. "I'm sorry I smashed your phone." 

Miranda shrugged, "I'm not going to pretend that I'm not mad. It just made it infinitely more difficult to talk to my wife or my daughters considering I can't get a decent wifi signal here." 

Jamie laughed, "I'm kind of glad you're here."

"Kind of? Well, it's an improvement from earlier..." Miranda took a swig the ale. "Are you going to remember this conversation in the morning or have you had too much to drink?" 

"No, I'll remember it... but I had to have the alcohol to say it." 

"Take what I can get, I guess." 

Jamie finished off his stein and said, "so, you're really married to a woman?"

**

"Cassidy?" Zoria whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "Cass?"

Cassidy grumbled and turned over, nuzzling into Zoria's shoulder. "Too early. Be quiet. Go back to sleep." 

"I have to go, I have to get ready for work." 

Cassidy wrapped her arms around her and kissed her, "come back soon? Like tonight?" 

"We'll see. Kate has yet to inform me of her intentions for this evening." Zoria ran her fingers over Cassidy's stomach and up between her breasts. "I'll call you, though." 

"You'd better." Cassidy grinned. 

Zoria pulled on her clothes. "Just down the stairs and to the left?" 

Cassidy yawned and nodded, "yeah." 

"Have a good day." Zoria whispered as she slipped out of the bedroom. Andy paused at the top of the stairs watching Zoria close Cassidy's door and pad quietly down the steps. She heard the front door slip shut. 

Andy continued down to the second floor landing and knocked on Cassidy's door. "Did you get lost?" Cassidy asked as she opened the door. "...oh... Andy..." 

"Can we talk?" Andy asked with raised eyebrows. 

"Yeah, as long as we don't talk about the woman who just left." Cassidy shifted, tugging at the shirt she'd just pulled on. 

"Um..." Andy furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Um, yeah... uh, your mother, I tried calling her and it went straight to voicemail. I'm not sure if she's ignoring me or if there are other problems. I was wondering if you'd call just in case." 

"Yeah, totally." Cassidy nodded, "did you try the inn?"

"I did, I got a busy signal. I have to go in to work now, though." Andy said slowly, "but I think we should talk about the woman who just left... who looked suspiciously like your high school guidance counselor? But it'll have to wait until I get home..." she looked at her cell phone. 

"Alright." Cassidy started closing the door. 

"Hey, stay out of trouble, kiddo, okay?" 

"I'm an adult." Cassidy called through the door. "And you're not my mother. The sooner you stop trying to act like you have or deserve any authority over me the better. Okay? Go to work and you stay out of trouble."

Andy sighed heavily and paused before continuing down the stairs. On her way out the door she dialed Miranda again. The voicemail came up immediately, "hey sweetheart, it's me again. I just miss you and I'm sorry and I love you and I... I don't know, just call me, okay?" 

Once at the office, Jimmy greeted her at the door, "Andy, your piece on the senator is a smash hit. All the news stations and other newspapers are struggling to catch up to _you_ on this one. It's incredible." 

Andy grinned, "I don't know what to say..." 

"Sachs!" Dave huffed from his office, "come see me." 

Jimmy clapped her on the back, "good luck and congratulations." 

"Thanks." Andy kissed his cheek, "couldn't have done it without you."

"Eh," he waved her off, "you could have, it just would have taken a lot longer." 

Andy stepped into Dave's office, "yes?"

"Sit down," he gestured to the shaggy couch in his office. "Let's talk about that promotion that you're due for."

**

When Miranda arrived at the cottage Dana was getting ready to leave. "Hey Miranda," Dana said as they passed in the living room. "I might make it back for dinner, but I'm not sure. Do you need a ride anywhere today?" 

"No," Miranda shook her head, "thank you. I think I'm just going to visit with mum today."

"Okay, have a good day then." Dana smiled and excused herself.

Miranda climbed the stairs and when she entered her mother's room she found her sitting at her vanity reading. "Hey mum, I have some good news for you." 

"Oh?" She turned and set down the book. 

Miranda sat on the bed, "I've been calling around London hospitals and there's one with an excellent cardiology department who said they have the room for you. You can go as early as the beginning of next week." 

"Wow, Miriam, I don't know what to say." Evelyn was stunned. 

"They'll send down transportation so you don't have to worry about your car or anything." Miranda explained.

"Miranda, that's so thoughtful of you."

"Well, you're my mum and I want to help you any way that I can." Miranda admitted. 

"Just seeing you again has done wonders for my heart, dear," Evelyn got up from her seat and sat next to Miranda. She took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You can't know how happy I am to see you." 

Miranda smiled and wrapped her arms around Evelyn. 

**

"Hey Miranda girl." Christian greeted when Andy picked up the phone. "I saw your article, you made a killing. Great example of journalism." 

"Thanks." Andy turned away so as not to distract Jimmy with her conversation. "I'm just glad to have gotten a chance to do a piece that I really cared about." 

"Well, it's obvious that you put your heart into it. I heard a little rumor today that I think you'd be interested in..." he said cryptically. 

"Don't make me beg." Andy laughed. 

"I heard a rumor that you're going to be offered a job here at the Times." 

There was silence on Andy's end. "You've got to be shitting me... don't do this to me, Christian. You know that's my dream job." 

"I'm not kidding, Andy, a lot of people are impressed. The senator is being brought up on charges. This article is going to take you places. And how proud is Miranda?" 

Andy shrugged, "no idea, actually. She's out of the country and I haven't been able to get a hold of her."

"Shameful! You need to be taken out to celebrate. I'll pick you up when you get off work. Six?" Christian offered, "we'll get drinks and then do dinner." 

Andy stopped to think about this proposition for a moment. On the one hand she felt that she should be there for Cassidy but after the attitude she'd gotten that morning wasn't sure that Cassidy would care if Andy were there for dinner. Also, Andy wanted to get the low down on Cassidy's new love affair to figure out if it was something she should concerned about or not. 

"Andy?" Christian asked when she hadn't answered. 

"No. Yeah, six sounds great, I'll meet you outside at six."


	6. Chapter 6

Cassidy knocked on Zoria's door, looking around nervously as she waited. 

Zoria opened the door and looked shocked to see Cassidy. "Cass, I told you that Kate gets here at around four!" 

"You took my iPad." Cassidy held up Zoria's, "I def didn't have Girl with the Dragon Tattoo loaded on and my iPad has two of my text books. I really need it." 

"Okay fine, come in." Zoria stepped aside and let Cassidy enter. "Wait here, I think it's in the study." 

"You think? It's an iPad what would you have done with it?" Cassidy demanded. 

Zoria pursed her lips defensively, "it depends on where I thought I might be when I want to read it. Maybe the study, maybe the bedroom, maybe the bathroom, maybe the kitchen." 

"Yeah, well, I have study group in an hour, maybe we can narrow it down before that? That would be great."

"Stay here, I'll go find it." Zoria went into the small room that she used as an office. She started shifting around stacks of books to look for the iPad. She rarely used it and didn't typically stash it for ease of finding it. 

Zoria's heart stopped when she heard the door open and Kate called, "Zoria?" 

Zoria set down the books she was holding and tried to calm her pounding heart. "Just a sec, sweetie." Zoria put a hand over her eyes and gulped down several calming breaths. When she reemerged in the living room Kate had taken off her jacket and kicked off her shoes. Even without the heels, Kate King was still a looming 5'11." Despite her height she was thin and her features were angular, all the right traits to be a really great comic book villain. 

Kate smiled predatorily and strode up to Zoria. Zoria smiled weakly and in one swift, fluid motion Kate pushed her back against the wall, capturing her lips fiercely. 

Zoria whimpered into the kiss as she returned it. Kate pulled Zoria's shirt up and roughly palmed her breasts. 

"Wait," Kate announced suddenly, pulling back. "Something's wrong here."

"Oh?" Zoria asked in a high pitched squeal. 

Kate laughed, "you're finally using the iPad I gave you. I never see it out. I'm glad you're getting some use out of it."

"Oh yeah," Zoria nodded, "it's great, I love it. It holds like a hundred books, how cool is that, right? I can get rid of my book collection now..." 

"Okay, you don't have to be a smartass." Kate grinned, "I'm not trying to get you to throw out your books, but would it kill you to be a little more organized?" 

"Kate, don't do that... okay?" Zoria scowled, "don't try to micromanage my life." 

"Why are you so touchy today?" Kate asked with concern. "Alright, I won't try to organize anything. I take you as you are. Why don't I draw you a bath and I'll give you a massage?" 

"I already showered today." 

"Okay, then I'll just seduce you right here," Kate dipped her head to kiss Zoria's neck, "your neck is so enticing..." 

"Kate, stop." Zoria whispered. When Kate looked up at Zoria there were tears in her eyes. 

"Zoria?" Kate searched her eyes with concern. 

"Kate, I don't want to do this anymore. I feel like you keep me like a caged animal. I'm sick of it. I don't want to do this with anymore."

Kate stepped back, her mouth open in shock. She stepped back until she hit the couch and sank down onto it. "That's... that's unfortunate, Zoria... I'll have to talk to the board about you..." 

"Do what you have to do." Zoria said resignedly. She wiped at her eyes, "being a guidance counselor isn't worth sacrificing the rest of myself." 

" _Good_." Kate spat, tears in her own eyes, "because I'm going to go right to the board. I'm going to tell them that you tried to seduce me and students." 

"That's not true." 

"The board won't care. They'll believe whatever I say." 

"Maybe not." Cassidy announced as she emerged from the hall closet. 

Kate leapt to her feet defensively, "what the hell, Zoria?" 

Zoria looked just as stunned and confused as Kate did, Cassidy continued, "I video taped the conversation on my phone." 

"Was this your plan all along?" Kate demanded. "And to add insult to injury you're fucking Cassidy Priestly? You really know how to hurt a girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cassidy pouted. 

"Oh hell, you spent more time in my office than I did." Kate spat, "you made my job as difficult as possible for all four years you attended my school. Of course it would be you who'd steal my woman."

"I didn't have to _steal_ anything." Cassidy grinned triumphantly. "And now we have this video and we can take it to the board." 

Kate sunk down to the couch again, "do what you need to do. Rat me out to the board and get me fired. I couldn't feel any worse than I already feel right now." 

"Katie, I don't want to get you fired. You're a good person, you just have control issues." 

"You don't want to get me fired?" Kate asked, wiping her eyes, "even after I threatened your career?"

Zoria shook her head, "no, I don't. I wouldn't ever want to hurt you like that. I care about you way too much." Zoria took a few steps closer to Kate. "I'm sorry I went behind your back. That was unfair." 

Kate groaned and rubbed her eyes, "no. Jesus. I've been unfair. I made it completely impossible for you to talk to me. That wasn't what I intended. I... I was just scared. I was scared that you couldn't care for me. I don't even like _myself_ , how could you possibly?" 

"Are you kidding?" Zoria sat next to Kate and took her hands, drawing her attention from the floor to look Zoria in the eye. "You're beautiful and you're sweet and your heart's in the right place. I shouldn't have gone behind your back, I should have been honest with you." 

"How long?" 

"Just twice." 

Cassidy stood silently, unsure what her role was in the conversation. 

Zoria reached up and tenderly wiped tears from Kate's face. "Can we give it another try? This time we'll both promise to have more respect for each other?" 

Kate nodded with a smile, "I'd like that." 

"Okay," Cassidy said breaking into the moment. "Well, I gotta get going... I found my iPad in the closet. You suck at organization, by the way. And this is just too unreal so I'm going to peace..." 

**

All three siblings, plus Evelyn and Virginia were seated around Evelyn's dining room table for dinner. Evelyn had prepared a lamb stew and mashed potatoes and steamed carrots. Dana seemed tired and somewhat lethargic, Jamie seemed far away and Virginia talked on happily. 

"What do you think about travelling, Virginia? Have you done much?" Miranda asked suddenly. 

Jamie and Virginia both looked up at her in surprise. "Um," Virginia had to think, "I visited Francea couple of times but I haven't really left England very often." 

"I think you'd like Italy and Greece and The Netherlands are also very scenic and interesting. When Andrea and I are _both_ retired, I think I'd like to go do an extended stay in a villa in Bordeaux. What do you think of something like that?"

"Oh... well, you know, our daughter just had a baby and one of our daughters-in-law is pregnant and due in December. I wouldn't want to miss that, you know?" 

"You wouldn't be leaving forever, just a month here and there? Maybe the grandkids would like getting postcards." 

Virginia nodded tersely, "yeah, it's something to think about." 

"I wish I could be retired. Villas in France? Sounds like my idea of heaven." Dana smiled. 

The table fell silent again until the meal was almost finished. Miranda cleared her throat, "I found a cardiology program in London that'll take mum." 

Her siblings stared at her skeptically. 

Miranda continued, "it's a world renown program and with the right treatment they think they can significantly extend her life." 

"In London?" Dana repeated. 

"Yes, it'sLondon Bridge Hospital."

"I barely have the time to come here for dinner, I don't have the time to go up to London. I'd never see her." Dana protested. "And what is 'significantly extending?' She'll have four months instead of two? She'll spend the last months of her life attached to tubes and monitors halfway across the country from her home?" 

"I..." Miranda stammered, realizing she hadn't thought of any of that. 

"I invited you here so that you could say goodbye." Dana snapped, "not so you could come and take her to a city that you like better." 

"Dana, sweetheart, calm down," Evelyn reached out a hand to her youngest. 

Dana pulled away, "I invited you here as a courtesy but Jamie was right, you're just selfish. This isn't your family anymore. You have no right to come in and act like the sainted child. You're not the martyr here, Miriam. You're such a control freak, you're just like dad. Why don't you do what you do best and just leave?" 

Miranda stood from the table and threw down her napkin. 

" _Hey_!" Evelyn snapped. Everyone turned to look at her in shock. "You," she pointed to Miranda, " _sit_. And you," she pointed to Dana, "take a deep breath and _calm down_." 

Miranda slowly sat back down and Dana looked down at her plate. 

"Alright. I want you all to get a long, is that so much to ask? Could we have a dinner that doesn't involve a shouting match, name calling or someone's phone getting smashed? You three are _adults_ , you're parents and two of you are _grand_ parents and you're all three acting like teenagers." 

There was a pause and Evelyn said, in a softer voice, "Dana, you can rest easily. I'm not going to go to London. I'm going to live out my days right here." 

Miranda looked up, "mum?"

"It was a wonderful thought, Miriam, and I am grateful that you spent the time to try and find me a treatment program but this is where I belong. My family is here and the only home I've ever known." Evelyn gave Miranda's hand a squeeze. 

"I've just missed so much time," Miranda said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek. 

"And you can't get it back, poppet." Evelyn whispered, stroking Miranda's hand with her thumb. 

Miranda covered her face with her free hand, the tears starting to flow more persistently. "Excuse me," she said, getting up from the table and walking into the living room. She took the stairs two at a time and entered the room that used to be her bedroom. It was a guestroom now and Miranda found that fitting. She laid down on the bed and faced the wall. 

After a few minutes had passed she heard the door open again. The bed sagged behind her and arms wrapped around her waist and a face buried her neck. 

Miranda took the hands in hers and squeezed them. "I'm sorry, Dana," Miranda whispered. 

"Me too," she nodded against Miranda. 

"No, I mean, I'm sorry about all of it." Miranda confessed, "I'm sorry I left you all. It was cowardly and selfish and this isn't my family anymore because I abandoned you." 

Dana hugged Miranda tighter, "this will always be your family. We got mum's diagnosis ages ago and it took us forever to be okay with it and I understand that you haven't really had time to come to grips with it." 

Miranda squeezed her eyes shut as she felt another onset of tears. 

**

Christian walked Andy up to the steps of the townhouse. "Thanks for taking me out, it was fun. With Miranda away and Cassidy's attitude it was really nice not to just sit at home and wallow." 

"Yeah, well, you know I think you're pretty great, Andy." Christian shrugged, "and I didn't want you to be alone on the night of your big story breaking."

Andy nodded with a smile, "it was really thoughtful." 

"You can call me any time you're feeling like you might be wallowing. Give my best to Miranda whenever you talk to her." 

Andy nodded, "thanks, I'll tell her and I'll definitely take you up on your offer in future." She gave him a quick hug, "goodnight." 

He lingered on the step for a moment after she went in before turning and leaving. Andy hung up her purse in the hall closet and as she started up the stairs she heard something rustle in the sitting room. 

When Andy went to investigate she saw Cassidy sitting in the plush chair with her iPad and with red eyes. "What's wrong, Cass?" Andy asked gently.

Cassidy looked up, "I was just contemplating my shitty taste in women. I really wish mom was here so I could ask her how she does it." 

"Well," Andy sat down on the couch neat her, "I landed your mother by proving that I cared about her."

"Yeah, well, people like you and Caroline can get people because you're just good people. But how do people like me and mom get people like you? Just, like, completely despite ourselves?" 

"There's nothing wrong with you or your mother, you're just type A personalities. My advice would be to just always be honest with yourself and with whoever you're dating and to stick with your own age for now."

Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"No, no. Hear me out," Andy insisted, "adults have so much more bullshit to work out and they're going to act like they know everything and you're not going to be on even footing." 

"Kind of like this?"

"Exactly, but I'm not your girlfriend, I'm your stepmother. You wouldn't want to date me, trust me."

"No, I wouldn't." Cassidy confirmed, "I really dodged a bullet letting mom have you."

Andy laughed, "alright, brat, don't stay up too late, okay?"

**

Andy was startled awake in the morning by the house phone. She furrowed her brow and got out of bed and hunted around for it for a few minutes before she found it. "Hello?" She asked tentatively. 

"Hello, my love." 

"Miranda!" Andy cried, "oh god, you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice! When I didn't hear from you for a few days I thought you were mad at me." 

"No, no. My phone broke and there's no wifi to speak of in the cove. I didn't know your number but I remembered the house number." 

"I didn't even realize we _had_ a house number. I always assumed this phone was fake." 

"Well I'm glad you picked it up." Miranda smiled, "I'm sorry to call so early but I wanted to catch you before you left." 

Andy laughed, "it's Saturday, sweetheart." 

"Oh. I've lost track of time. But I did see your article and I'm so happy for you. It was a wonderfully written article." 

Andy felt a slight blush overtake her, "thanks." 

"Anyway, I was calling because I was hoping that I could convince you to come to England with me for a little bit. You could meet my family."

Andy smiled, "I'd like that, Miranda. I'd like that a lot."


End file.
